madrid

End of September I had a business trip to Madrid and decided to stay the weekend. I had never been to Madrid and instantly became a fan. Unfortunately my airbnb host cancelled less than a week before the trip, so I ended up in a hotel a bit out of town – contrary to the flat which would have been right by Plaza Mayor. Prices were much higher at that point due to my trip being less than a week away, hence the remote location. However, there was a direct bus connection from my hotel to Puerta del Sol for just 1,5€ so it didn’t really matter.

On Friday I navigated towards Mercado de San Miguel, a recommendation from my colleague – a “must see” he said. Indeed, a must-see or must-experience. The idea is that you can mingle around the hall and eat small portions from any of the shops whilst sipping on some red wine for a ridiculous 3€/glass. I was not hungry enough to get the most out of this place – but definitely, do go if ever in Madrid and make sure you’re hungry!

Saturday was dedicated to shopping. What else would a wannabe fashion blogger do when in a new city? Bear in mind that Spain has a big garments industry, so many things are cheaper there than elsewhere in Europe. I started the day with breakfast at Frutas Prohibitas in Chueca neighbourhood, a cute little health cafe with a massive selection of smoothies, smoothie bowls, juices and sandwiches. The staff was super friendly too, so be sure to pop by!

I flew back on Monday which meant that I had all of Sunday to stroll around. As Saturday turned out to be 12h in the city, on Sunday I wanted to take things easy. After breakfast I went to Parque de El Retiro for a slow walk and to check out Palacio de Cristal. There were quite a few people in the park – a group doing Tai Ji, kids practicing rollerskating, families on row boats. End of September is still very warm in Madrid, closer to +30c, and the weather was just perfect. The rest of the day I spent by the hotel pool before heading out for a last dinner in the city.

For Sunday dinner I wanted to go to a rooftop bar called The Hat, which I’d read of before. It’s located on top of a hostel right next to Plaza Mayor and is very popular so be prepared for a wait. They do have a bar downstairs where you can wait, but as I was travelling solo they found me a table straight away. This rooftop doesn’t really have view and the menu is rather simple but I very much like the atmosphere. Another recommendation from me!